Happy holidays, and FAFSA applications open soon

December 15, 2023

Rotunda_HolidaysDear friends and neighbors,

This will be my last e-newsletter of 2023! I hope that you are all able to spend time with family and friends as we celebrate this holiday season and the start of a new year.

I wanted to express my gratitude for all the ways you’ve shown up this year, from emailing and calling the office to showing up at town halls and community coffees, this community makes me so proud. I may be biased but I definitely have the best constituents.

I also wanted to pass along a little information about how to get involved in the upcoming legislative session. We’ll start next year’s 60-day session bright and early on January 8th, and are keeping many of the pandemic-era options for virtual engagement, so you don’t need to go to Olympia to get involved!

  • Learn — Curious about how the legislative process works? You can watch a start-to-finish overview by clicking here. If you prefer text instead, click here.
  • Watch — TVW.org broadcasts all legislative debates, votes, committee hearings and other events in the House and Senate. There’s also an extensive archive of past events if you can’t watch it live. Check out TVW’s “Legislative Review” for a quick recap of everything that’s happened each day of session.
  • Research — Find detailed information about legislation by lawmaker or topic by clicking here.
  • Testify — Share your thoughts on legislation! This session, you’ll be able to testify in person, remotely or in writing based on what’s easiest for you. Click here for more information on how to testify.

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I also wanted to pass along some information about FAFSA/WAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid/Washington Application for State Financial Aid) applications. If you’re considering attending higher education, getting a credential, or doing an apprenticeship program in the 2024-2025 academic year than please apply! Washington has one of the best financial aid programs in the country, and we want everyone to take advantage of it. This application qualifies you for things like the Washington College Grant, which is free funding that does not need to be repaid and can cover the entire cost of attendence for families with lower incomes.

Applications will open by the end of the month, and the application process has been re-designed and will hopefully be easier than ever. You can learn more about the FAFSA/WAFSA and how to apply here.